Wild Moon Rising

by Jenny Knight

'Jenny Knight's writing is brilliant – telling it like it is, full of warmth and humour' Cathy Rentzenbrink

'Powerful … A moving story of female desire, ambition and renewal' Kit de Waal

*****

A powerful and moving debut novel about coming of age again post-marriage and post-menopause.

Claire's life isn't how she thought it would be when she moves into Hunter's Moon. Her long marriage is over, her children have flown the nest, and her work as an illustrator no longer satisfies her. She isn't sure who she is now or what she wants from her life.

It wasn't always like this. Once, she had desires and ambitions.

When her octogenarian neighbour, Tansy, suffers a fall, Claire’s solitude is broken. Under the older woman’s guidance, she finds solace and a new sense of purpose in regenerating her wild garden. And as the plants grow, Claire retreads the bittersweet journey that brought her to the second half of her life.

This is a story of love. Of friendship and desire, of art and nature, of finding love for yourself and for life itself. It is a story of coming of age, once again, of giving up one’s safety net and embracing a new life beyond.

352 pages, Hardcover

Published June 19, 2025

Reviews

[cotcom · Rating 3 out of 5]

I found this book difficult to read. It is the story of a divorced woman recollecting her past and then making a new friend of a neighbour - an older women. It has some warm, funny, poignant moments but for me, it was a disappointing read. Perhaps I couldn’t relate to the main character who was looking for a new fulfilling future, post menopausal, post marriage, post career.
I found the writing disjointed and it didn’t have a readable flow. Perhaps I missed something, including the point of it all. The book gets great reviews, but for me, I found it didn’t match my expectations and I wouldn’t recommend it.

[Gem ~ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautifully written with some of the strongest female characters I've read in a while. This book brings the knowledge of self-reflection, wisdom and plentiful flower facts that burst from the pages in a joyful and enlightening blossom. I adored Tansy and Claire, their differences and similarities bring out the best in their interactions and seeing Claire begin to figure out her place in her world and all she still has to offer was so rewarding.

[Haxxunne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely literary/women’s fiction hybrid
—
Claire—lover, wife, mother, artist, divorcee—is trying to build up her illustration career again, now that she’s single and child-free for the first time in decades. She has moved to rural Suffolk on a long tenancy to fulfil a commission far from everything she knew. However, her ex and her children still need to keep her in their lives, post-menopause is reminding her of her lost past; and now there’s her octogenarian neighbour, Tansy, who doesn’t need Claire’s help, but Claire finds herself drawn to Tansy and her botanical witchiness, and her valuable perspective from the other end of this new stage in Claire’s life.

This literary/women’s fiction hybrid makes the allusion that women are gardens, how their lives are tied to the moon. In isolating herself, Claire is reminded that she is all the women she has ever been, and with Tansy’s wisdom, hard earned through her long life, Claire sees all the women that she could ever be. Claire recalls her life before she became a wife then a mother, her former boyfriends, the good and the bad; as well as all of her dreams for herself, dreams she is trying to reignite. Tansy makes the point that weeds are plants that have not yet found their purpose, and with Tansy’s gentle yet combative support, Claire rediscovers that her dreams are there to be grasped, although they have deepened and transformed in the years since.

Knight cleverly writes Claire in different modes and tones at different ages, helping to add structure to the narrative completely centred on Claire. Everything is seen through her eyes, and the warts and all of the story can sometimes be difficult to square with the older mother we meet at the start of the book, but that’s the point: that Claire is young Claire, wife Claire, mother Claire, post-menopausal Claire, and will one day be aged Claire, gone Claire. Like the moon, she will rise, but she will also change. Lovely stuff.

[Helen O · Rating 2 out of 5]

The storyline of this novel, a menopausal woman and an older woman helping to guide her into a new phase of life was a potentially interesting one. While it's possible for any story to be complex and to cover a wide range of areas, I found this book to be overly long, to jump from place to place, and be unnecessarily wordy, to not quite find a direction or focus. As if the author wanted to cram everything she had in her head into one place without editing. The areas of exploration don't flow well into one another, the storyline demands that you follow a rather jumpy, meandering and lengthy path. This comes across as a debut novel where the author hasn't fully found their voice or style. It would have benefited from being edited down to a more compact form. I know I'm speaking only for myself, others may find it more engaging, but sadly this was not for me. I found myself skimming much of it in the hope I would finally become fully connected with it, but that didn't happen. The writing is of good quality however.

[Penelope · Rating 2 out of 5]

I tried and tried. Started this three times and the third time persevered to about half way. But then decided life is just too short ....
I found this very introverted without being a good stream of consciousness. There was far too much sex and swearing for my liking; and the style seemed to be that of a new writer trying too hard.

The 'plot' is that of a middle aged woman, Claire, who is post=menopausal and trying to adjust to a new single life, while being guided by her elderly next door neighbour Tansy. There are also long descriptions of her relationships and sex life prior to her marriage, one with an abusive partner. The storyline jumps around without warning and sometimes it was difficult to remember who was who or who had thought what. It is atmospheric in places, but in a trying-too-hard style. It all became too much!

While others may enjoy this, I personally find it too rambling and in need of a good edit.

with thanks to the publisher and to Netgalley for the ARC.

[Jane Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Older women feature more in fiction nowadays as the central characters, and this is a positive message to all. As an older woman, I found the main character relatable and understood her past life experiences and her current unsettled state. It's an honest and insightful story. Being a young woman in the 1970s and 1980s was so different to being young in the twenty-first century. Many accepted attitudes towards women weren't challenged but are now, and the book reflects this. I like the positivity of the story. The reclaimed garden is metaphoric for the woman's new life. The relationship between the woman and her neighbour is humorous and engaging. It is gently paced and intensely emotional in parts, but it is a compelling and uplifting read.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher.

[Claire · Rating 3 out of 5]

I couldn't decide at the start if I was going to enjoy this book. It was pretty slow at the beginning whilst we started to get to know Claire and her new life renting a cottage in the country. Little did we know that her elderly neighbour Tansy would become such a friend and also a wealth of knowledge about life and all things gardening. I did like the corollary between the seasons of the moon; the seasons of the year in gardening terms and the seasons of a woman's journey but although I am sure they were important from a character building point of view I did find the flashbacks to Claire's sexual exploits/boyfriends etc in her early years a little tedious.
By the end of the book I had however warmed both to her and her friendship with Tansy hence my 3 star review.

[Adam Donagh · Rating 3 out of 5]

ARC Received through Coundon Library Book Club Coventry.

This book took me by surprise. On the surface it’s about Claire, a woman starting over after her marriage ends and her kids are grown. But really, it’s about figuring out who you are when all the roles you’ve lived by fall away.

The writing is lyrical and sometimes a bit meandering, but I liked how honest it felt. The garden imagery and Claire’s friendship with her neighbour Tansy really stood out — those parts had a lot of heart.

The themes of renewal, loneliness, and rediscovering desire aren’t just women’s issues, they’re human ones. It’s not a fast-paced story, but it’s thoughtful and quietly moving.

[Lesley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was sent a copy of Wild Moon Rising by Jenny Knight to read and review by NetGalley. I enjoyed this novel and the knowledge throughout of plants and the moon. I did get rather confused at times as it would often move between people, occasions and timelines without any delineation, which seems to be quite a trend in novels these days. The characters are well drawn and believable and I wouldn’t be surprized if some of the plentiful intimate sections weren’t drawn from the author’s own experiences as they seemed so vivid! This is a good debut and I wouldn’t be averse to reading future titles.

[Ruth · Rating 2 out of 5]

With thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

This book sounded intriguing to me as a menopausal woman who loves her garden. Sadly however, I was defeated by the writing style. It’s overblown and convoluted and half the time I had no idea what was happening. I’m afraid I decided it wasn’t worth the effort at around the 40% mark. It’s a DNF for me, much as I hate doing that.

[Susan J · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would have liked to have given this book 5 stars because the storyline had so much potential. Unfortunately, for me, the writing style made it difficult to read. Parts of the book were beautifully written but then others were too complicated and meandering.
Thank you to the Reading Agency and Harper Collins for the copy of the book to review

[Diane Wright · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really tried. I got halfway through, but I just can't finish it. The storyline jumps all over the place; more so than my menopausal head! I think I know where she is going with this but it's too boring.

[Louise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Warm and engaging. The heroine isn't always easy to relate to, but she grew on me a lot as the story progressed. The elderly neighbour Tansy is a well-drawn character and added a really colourful level to the novel.

[Rachel Large · Rating 2 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you for the copy from Jubilee Crescent Book Club.
I really struggled to read this book; unfortunately it just didn't grab me and I couldn't get into the story. Whilst it was beautifully written I just didn't enjoy it.

[Vicky Park · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a beautifully written and empowering book. Like a coming of age novel for women who are going/have gone through menopause. I absolutely loved it.

[Beth Costello · Rating 2 out of 5]

There were bits that I really enjoyed but an awful lot that I didn’t…

[Fleur Currie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Covers some heavy themes but is just so lovely.